Liverpool Close In On Darren Bent as Aston Villa Line Up Shock Didier Drogba Swoop

Aston Villa are interested in signing Didier Drogba in a move that could pave the way for the shock January exit of Darren Bent, Goal.com has learned.

The Midlands club have expressed an interest in swooping for the Chelsea veteran, who turns 34 in March.

Drogba is out of contract in the summer and talks over an extension at Stamford Bridge have reached a stalemate, with the Londoners unwilling to exceed the one-year deal currently on the table.

However, Villa have indicated they would be willing to give Drogba the two-year contract that he wants from Chelsea.

Although Villa manager Alex McLeish has admitted he has limited funds to spend in this month’s transfer window, the sale of club-record signing Bent would free up the cash to match Drogba’s current salary of around £120,000-a-week.

Goal.com understands that Villa are expecting a fight this month to hold on to Bent, who is attracting strongly rumoured interest from Liverpool.

SOURCE: Goal.com

It appears that speculation that Liverpool may be keen on Darren Bent is growing by the day and talk of an Aston Villa move for Chelsea veteran Didier Drogba, however bizarre, merely serve to further that speculation. So could the Anfield side really see the England man as a possible option to boost their attack? Well why not?

The 27 year old is one of the most consistent Premier League strikers of his generation and there has been much talk of a supposed spat with boss Alex McLeish, which wasn’t help by the former Tottenham striker opting to do Xmas shopping rather than watch his side lose to Liverpool at home.

There is of course also the link with Damien Comolli, the Liverpool director of football was supposedly instrumental in getting the then Charlton Athletic man to move to White Hart Lane back in June 2007 and perhaps the Frenchman is looking to repeat the trick?

With Andy Carroll struggling to hit form and Luis Suarez out for eight matches and a very real lack of striking alternatives, a move for the Aston Villa man makes a great deal of sense, though such a move would not be cheap and would have to count on the Tooting born striker pushing to leave Aston Villa.